Month: July 2023

Training camp in West Virginia is complete and the team will be headed back to Berea later today. So why not do an early final 53-man roster, right? Here goes.

Quarterback (3). Watson*, Dobbs*, Thompson Robinson*.

Running Back (3). Chubb*, Ford*, Felton/free agent.

Wide Receiver (6). Cooper*, Peoples-Jones*, Moore*, Bell*, Tillman*, Goodwin.

Tight End. (3). Njoku*, Bryant*, Akins*.

Offensive Tackle. (4). Conklin*, Wills*, Hudson*, Jones*.

Offensive Guard (4). Bitonio*, Teller*, Dunn, Forbes.

Center (2). Pocic*, Wypler*

Defensive Tackle (4). Tomlinson*, Elliott*, Ika*, Free agent.

Defensive End (5). Garrett*, Smith*, Okoronkwo*, Wright*, McGuire*.

Linebacker (6). Walker*, Takitaki*, JOK*, Adams*, Kunaszyk*, Fields.

Cornerback (6). Ward*, Emerson*, Newsome*, Green*, Ford*, Mitchell.

Safety (4). Thornhill*, Delpit*, McLeod*, Bell.

Special Teams (3). York*, Hughlett*, Bojorquez*.

The (*) denotes a roster lock either due to salary structure, 2023 draft pick or starter from last year. I’ve got 25 on offense, 25 one defense and three specialists. On some of the position groups, I’m basing the number of players on what was done in previous years. For example, the last two years the Browns have kept ten offensive linemen, three tight ends, five defensive ends, four defensive tackles and six linebackers. This year, the offense will carry three quarterbacks, three running backs and six wide receivers. At quarterback, Dorian Thompson-Robinson must make the final 53, because he won’t clear waivers and make it to the practice squad. The last two years the Browns have carried two quarterbacks, five running backs/fullbacks and five wide receivers. Not this year.

On defense, the only difference is previous years is the secondary. The last two years the Browns have carried five cornerbacks and five safeties. This year it’s six and four because the wealth of talent at the cornerback position and number three safety Rodney McLeod is extremely versatile. He can play free safety, strong safety and slot corner.

Now we head to a game week for the first time in 2023. The starters will mostly be backups and young players, as it should be this early in the preseason. Tomorrow, look for my podcast, The Cleveland Browns Dawg Pound South Podcast, part of the http://@ELfzNetwork as I give my analysis of the trip to West Virginia. Stay safe and Go Browns.

It’s been six weeks since my last Browns blog and I’ve been busy. As most of you know I’m now a contributor to the Fanatical Elfz Network podcasts, (http://@ElfzNetwork) and have started my own podcast through the network called “The Dawg Pound South Podcast.” Catchy name, right? I’m still writing articles for https://clesportstalk.com/ once a week but missed expressing my opinion through my blog. So for better or worse, here’s goes.

Today the team flies to West Virginia and has a walk thorough at 3:45pm EST. Coach Stefanski and selected players will be available afterword’s to meet the media. Plan your social media time appropriately. I really like this out-of-town trip not only for team unity, but also to limit distractions. And speaking of distractions, raise your hand if you actually thought DT Perrion Winfrey was going to make this team. I’ve done three early final 53-man rosters so far and in each one, he didn’t make the team. I at least thought he would make it through the West Virginia trip. I hope the young man gets the help he needs. I also hope in the future, Browns GM Andrew Berry stays away from drafting anymore players from Oklahoma.

The first injury reports were announced yesterday. On the non-football injury list were, G Colby Gossett, WR Anthony Schwartz and WR Mike Woods. On the non-football illness list was WR Marquise Goodwin with blood clots in his legs and lungs. Goodwin was going to be a key contributor in the passing game, but blood clots are extremely serious, especially for someone his age. He plans on staying with the team as he works at getting better, but due to the seriousness, I really can’t see him playing in 2023. This opens a roster spot for either Jaelon Darden or Jakeem Grant. My money is on Grant, he’s a pro bowl caliber punt returner. The good news neither Anthony Walker nor Sione Takitaki appeared on the injured list. We’ll know sometime today if they are healthy enough for training camp. Both would make a big difference in the linebacker room.

Today a couple of players announced jersey number changes. CB Greg Newsome will now wear number “0” and LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will change to his college number “6.” Plan your jersey purchases accordingly. With the departure of Winfrey, I think it would be in the best interest of the Browns to sign another veteran defensive tackle. Names to watch, Matt Ioannidis, Chris Wormley, Linval Joseph and Akiem Hicks. Ndamukong Suh would be great, but he’s not signing with a team until later in the season. He doesn’t need training camp and would want to pick the best opportunity to win a ring. The only other position I can see that needs attention is the running back position. I’m not comfortable with Jerome Ford and Demetric Felton as Nick Chubb’s backups. The Browns need a veteran running back who can take over when Chubb needs a rest. Ezekiel Elliott and Kareem Hunt make the most sense, but both would have take a reduced role and reduced price. We’ll have to wait and see.

That’s it for this week. I’ll be back on my usual schedule of posting a weekly blog and will have my podcast broadcast on Mondays. Stay safe and Go Browns.